Teen hikers missing near Lake Mason

Two Kamiak High School grads are missing after a day hike in the Cascades on Sunday.

Ricardo Perez, 18, and Brian Chim, 19, set out on a hike and swim around 7 a.m. to Mason Lake, near Mount Defiance. They were expected back that night. Their car was found near a trailhead.

King County Search and Rescue and the King County Sheriff’s Office are searching Monday for Perez and Chim, who are inexperienced hikers.

Perez, of Edmonds, graduated from Kamiak this year and Chim, of Mukilteo, graduated in 2012. Chim just finished his freshman year at the University of Washington.

Search efforts started Monday morning with King County deputies, Search and Rescue volunteers and a KCSO helicopter.

The search area is about 45 miles east of Seattle and west of Snoqualmie Pass.

“We have no clue where they’re at, other than they were hiking in the area,” King County Det. Jason Stanley said. “There are 10 different lakes up here. We have quite a few resources trying to find them.”

The teen’s parents reported them missing after they didn’t come home Sunday night, according to the Mukilteo Police Department. Their car was found near a trailhead at Mason Lake around 1 a.m. Both of their phones were off.

“I’m hoping they just didn’t update info on where they were going,” Mukilteo Officer Cheol Kang said.

Stanley said the overnight conditions in the area were very survivable.

“There’s not a reason for them to go missing,” he said. “The trails are wide and well-used, and the trails had a lot of hikers during this time. The idea of them getting lost is hard to believe.

“There were so many hikers, they could just say ‘Here’s the trail.’”

Ricardo Perez was last seen wearing shorts and a light blue jacket. He is about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 185 pounds.

Brian Chim was last seen wearing a purple T-shirt and khaki shorts, with a black backpack. He is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 170 pounds.

Anyone who was hiking the area on Sunday or Monday and has information about the two teens are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311.